A New Zealand man spent his holidays building an igloo out of colourful ice bricks at his girlfriend's house in Edmonton, Alberta. Hundreds of milk cartons filled with frozen coloured water formed the bricks.

Daniel Gray posted a series of photos about the massive undertaking, pieced together brick by brick.

The final project is a work of art that could probably put most Canadians' igloo-building skills to shame. It's also a show of the labour Gray is willing to endure to impress his girlfriend's parents.

Gray's girlfriend, Kathleen Starrie, has parents that are creative and possibly a bit cruel. Starrie's mother thought up the project as a way to keep her daughter's boyfriend busy over the holidays, she told Global News.

He didn't get the sense the task was optional.

For five days in weather that dropped close to -25 degrees Celsius, Gray, Starrie, her parents and a neighbour built the igloo. They estimate the project took 150 hours to finish.

The boyfriend used his expertise as an engineer to pack ice bricks together with snow and water, which he dubbed "snowcrete."

Once Starrie's mother realized the monumental task she had assigned, she told Gray that if he finished the igloo he could marry her daughter. They're not engaged yet.

Could this be the start of a Canadian rite of passage for young couples? We'll call it the ritual igloo building.